February Artist of the Month: J. Timothy Quirk

Jenny Golfin

Published 12:00 am, Tuesday, February 12, 2013

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February Artist of the Month: J. Timothy Quirk

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Torrington >> The Register Citizen Artist of the Month for February is Torrington resident J. Timothy Quirk. Quirk is a cartoonist, with a daily strip in Nebraska and New York newspapers, and a panel cartoon for a weekly paper in Central New York. Quirk also has a blog, In Torrington Today, to which he posts one panel cartoons.

Quirk's work will be on display for the month of February in the Newsroom Cafe, 59 Field Street, which is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Quirk grew up with comic strips -- his father had an interest in comics and passed it on to him. One could say comics are a family affair, now that his children draw with him.

"I've always drawn comic strips, but it has only been the past few years that I've actively pursued it fully," Quirk said.

Quirk first started in cartoon drawing after creating some books for his daughter when teaching her how to read. The books had a dinosaur as a friend. Those books led to the creation of the "Jurascals" with the help of Quirk's friends, Dan and Tinsley Morrison. "Jurascals" is a cartoon about Jurassic dinosaurs and their adventures in the real world, published in the Auburn Citizen, the McCook Daily Gazette, and the Sidney Sun Telegraph.

After creating "Jurascals," Quirk became a member of Artwell Gallery in October 2010. His exposure at Artwell, he said, gave him the opportunity to show his work to a newspaper editor in central New York, which led to Quirk being hired to do a weekly cartoon called "Happy Central New York."

In April 2011, Quirk's comic strip "Jurascals" was picked up by another New York paper. In 2012, he approached a paper in Nebraska with "Jurascals," adding a Nebraskan twist and they picked it up.

"I will continue to hone the craft and present my work to more and more newspapers in more and more states. Perhaps one day I may create art for a Connecticut paper," Quirk explained.

Quirk's favorite aspect of being a cartoonist is the chance to spread smiles across the country.

"Every day I reach thousands of readers through their local newspapers comics page, and hopefully my happy artwork makes them smile. That is a gift," said Quirk.

The work on display at the Newsroom Cafe is mostly comic panels of a cartoon called In Torrington Today, which celebrates the region "through the eyes of a visitor." Quirk's comics are inspired by traveling and new experiences.

Because the work on display is based on Torrington, Quirk will be in the Newsroom Cafe Friday, Feb. 8 from 10 to 3 p.m. creating more art that will go right up on the wall, weather permitting. If the event needs to be cancelled, there will be a snowdate for later in the month.

The public is welcome to attend and create art with him.

Quirk has also created coloring pages for young artists. Crayons and coloring pages will be available for young artists who may take part in the activity with their parents supervision. Watercolor paper and watercolors will be available for adults.

"For this 'creating art' event, we can keep the event flexible and anyone can visit, make art with (me) and leave when they wish," Quirk explained. "When I see something new I want to preserve the experience not necessarily with a photo but with art."

Quirk said he chose to be the Artist of the Month because it allows him to expose his work to friends, neighbors and the general public.

Quirk will be hosting an exit reception on Friday March 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The reception, at the Newsroom Cafe on 59 Field St., is open to the public. To find out more about In Torrington Today, visit http://intorringtontoday.blogspot.com or find it on Facebook by searching In Torrington Today.

If you are interested in taking part in the Register Citizen's Artist of the Month Program contact Jenny Golfin at jgolfin@registercitizen.com or call 860-489-3121, ext. 357.